Grove, Route 67 work to start

Published 7:00 pm, Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Initially state and local officials had expected demolition work to begin next Tuesday, but there has been a slight delay because of needed historical documentation.

Some of the more historic structures in the path of realignment are being photographed and construction details documented in writing -- including information about an old privy, or outhouse, behind one home.

Steve Degen, the state Department of Transportation coordinator for rights-of-way and land acquisitions, said Wednesday that the first Grove Street property -- 48 Grove St. on the southwest corner with Mill Street -- will be down by early February.

The next building to come down will be the building that had been home to the Village Center for the Arts and Bike Express at the southwest corner of East and Bridge streets. Once it is down, DOT Project Engineer Tony Estanislau said United Water would begin borings on the site.

He said actual road construction, expected to be done in three stages, is not slated to get underway until next year, but advance work for utility relocation is set to begin this spring.

"We have made tremendous progress," in the past two years, Mr. Estanislau said Wednesday in a phone interview

He said the DOT has worked "extremely closely" with Mayor Pat Murphy and Public Works Director Mike Zarba "trying to get this job out and done. That's the intent of the department and the mayor."

Last April Mr. Estanislau told the Town Council during a public briefing that he had asked for the environmental approvals to be fast-tracked by the state.

Other buildings expected to be demolished this spring after historical and environmental documentation is complete include homes at 44, 46 and 50 Grove St.

The former Brickley home on the corner of Mallett Lane and Route 67 was demolished several years ago, and the house to the south of the Gellella dental practice is also set for demolition.

The road realignments involve two separate projects and has been discussed in town for decades. In the past 20 years several proposals have come and gone.

The current plans were approved for final design in 2004.

The Grove Street work is being funded at 80 percent by the federal government and 10 percent each by the state and town. The Route 67 work is funded by the federal government, with the state paying for 20 percent of the cost.

Construction for both projects is expected to total $13 million. Land acquisition and demolition costs total $10 million, according to Mr. Degen.

The proposed work includes the relocation of Grove Street from Mill Street north to a new reconfigured intersection with Bridge Street, Route 67, and East Street (Route 202). The work also includes softening a sharp curve on Route 67 on the hill as the road enters the downtown center.

The current Grove Street will end just short of Route 67 in a cul-de-sac. Old Grove will also terminate in a hammerhead configuration just short of its current intersection at the sharp curve on Route 67.

The existing bridge over Great Brook on Route 67 at the firehouse will be replaced and the section of Bridge Street between East Street and the town Green will be widened to accommodate turning lanes.

The project also includes sidewalks, new lighting, new drainage, the relocation of water and sewer pipes and utilities, as well as a realignment of Great Brook.